Duplicating-machine.



A. F, WEGENER.

DUPLICATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION mzo FEB. 17. 1911.

Patented Oct. 16, 1917.

wm'm A TTOR/VEYS means for ED sTATEs PAT N OFCE'v AUGUST F. 'WEGENEB, OF IBIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

DUPLIGATING-MACH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1917.

' Application filed February 17, 1917. Serial No. 149,204.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST F. Wncnmm, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ridgewood, in the county of Ber have inven a new and Improved Duplicatin -Machine, of which the following is a full, ear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a copying or duplicating machine and has particular reference to devices of this character adapted particularly for re roducing any suitable number of copies 0? sheets of typewriting,

Ymanuscript, drawings or the like.

ong the objects of the invention is to provide a machine of the character indicated havin the maximum simplicity and reliability 0% operation and hence a machine that may be made and put upon the market at a minimum cost to the public. p Another object of the invention is to provide a duplicating machine of simpleconstruction, but provided with improved gripping or holding one end of the sheet so as to increase both the speed of operation and the accuracy of alinement in making the duplicate copies.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted tothe exact details of construction disclosed orsuggested herein, still for the purposeof illustrating a practical embodimentthereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same' parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section indicating a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

F". 3 is a section or detail plan view as the line 3-3 of Fig.1 with portions broken out. A I

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I show a machine, comprising a bed having any suitable standards or. supports upon which it may be supported in' practice. As shown said bed is formed preferably of flat sheet metal having its ends bent into substantial cylindrical drums 11 and 12, said drums being located below the plane of the bed and serving consequently as feet or standards to position the vquently to the desired bed at a desired elevation above the table or the like upon which the machine is operated. Any suitable material may be employed in the construction of this portion of the device, it being essential that such material possesses sufficient stifiness or body to provide ample strength for the work to be performed thereon. As noted substantially in Fig. 2 the side edges of the bed are bent downwardly formin vertical flanges 13 which increase the sti ess of the structure materially. Auxiliary flanges 14 are secured upon the inner faces of the Han es 13,, a portion of each auxiliary flange eing spaced inwardly from the lower edge of each main flangev 13 providing a raceway for certain wheels or rollers described below. These auxiliary flanges or strips also add materiallyto the rigidity of the bed structure.

At 15 I indicate a cushion of any suitable non-metallic and preferably of resilient nature, having several important functions. Primarily the cushion serves the usual purpose of a cushion to insure a proper contact or coiiperation between the impression roller and the gelatinized film 16 which is generally used over the upper surface of the cushion. Secondly, the cushion be' a interosed between the bed 10 protects te film om the chill that would result if it were positioned in close contact with the metal body of the bed.

In each of the drums 11 and 12 is located a transverse roller 17 or 18. These rollers are adapted to be introduced into the drums ner. The drum 11 is shown provided with a hinged door 11' for this purpose, while the drum 12 is provided with a similar door 12'. The film 16 above referred to is rolled upon one of the rollers and thus introduced into one of the drums. The free end of the film is then drawn out of said drum as through a passageway 19 and thence over the upper surface of the cushion and thence down through another passageway 20 where it is attached to the opposite roller so as to be rolled upon the latter roller from time to time to present a fresh surface or portion of the film to receive the impression from the original copy to be transferred subseduplicate copies, either roller, es ecially the latter mentioned one, is provide pose of manipulating the fihn. These drums,

with a knob 21 for the purparts operating thereupon.

manipulate the sheets on or stifien the but for their passageways 19 and 20 for irrespective of their cross sectional form, are substantially inclosed and constitute in efiect humidifiers for the film, which from .its nature requires for best results to be kept moist. Furthermore, the

drums serve to protect the highly sensitiverolls from injury due to dust, impact from outside objects, contact of the operators hands, etc. The construction of the drums adapts them also for maximum strength and relative lightness.

Along each side of the bed and projecting upwardly therefrom is a rail 22. The/5318.118 bed and also serve to limit the lateral-movement of the cushion and other be provided to over the gelatinized film or its equivalent, so as to efiect the transfer of the matter to be reproduced.

Any suitable means may The means I have preferred, however, for

this purpose comprises an impression roller 23 of any suitable construction mounted upon an axle 24, journaled at its ends in a carriage from one end of the bed to'the other. The impression roller obviously is intended to bear directly upon the sheet S lying upon the film and between which and the film an impression transfer is to be made as well understood in this art. The frame 25 includes T-shaped extensions 26 on opposite sides of the bed and extending somewhat below the flanges 13 and 14, and each extension is provided with a vertical slot 26' through which the end of the. axle 24: projects. Each extension 26 carries a plurality cent to the lower end of the T-shaped ex- '7 tension 26. The function of these springs V is to tend to cause the roller to hug down closely upon the film or sheet S applied thereto and to cause also the ends of the frame to be elevated so as to hold or tend to hold the rollers 27 in their track. By

providing-the slots 26' it is possible for the operator to bear down more or less firmly I upon the carriage, as through the handle 31, to vary the degree of pressure upon the impression roller. This action of, the operator is communicated directly to the lower ends of the extensions 26=aiid is resiliently resisted by the springs :28. The normal length ofthe slots 26 above the axle 24 or frame 25 movable iIOflJldafl'O of the roller shaft while the other end 1s anchored at the point 30 adja-.

ape-awe should not exceed the depth of the flanges l3 and 14, whereby it will ordinarily be impossible for, the maximum pressure applied to the handle to disconnect the rollers from their tracks. The tracks for the rollers 27 are extended sufficiently beyond the front drum 11- to permit the roller 23 to come well forwardly over the drum where suitable stop means is employed to' limit such movement. The stop means herein indicated consists of a combined cradle 32 and ipper 33.. The cradle consists of a semi-tu ular or trough shaped member conforming to the curved surface of the roller which is adapted to roll directly thereinto. The lower edge of the cradle 1s fixed rigidly to the gripper plate 33 and this combined device is ada ted to roll or tilt forwardly around the axis of the pintles 33, causing the gripper plate to tilt upwardly as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The normal position, however, of the gripper plate is as shown in full line in Fig." 1 in direct cotiperation with a shelf 34 shown as constituting a portion or extension of the upper part of the drum 11. e I

The rear portion of the frame 25 constitutes an inclined guide 35 along the lower or front edge of which isan anti-friction roller 36 spaced rearwardly somewhat from the main roller 23. When the roller 23 oocupies the extreme forward position-with the gripper plate tilted upwardly the guide roller' 36 is spaced rearwardly, from the gripper plate so as to readily admit the edge of the paper into the space below the gripper plate where it strikes against the shoulder 37. The guide 35 and its roller 36 there is no likelihood that the sheet'of paper will slip into the drum 11.

In the ordinary practice of this invention inserted, as above described, the gripper eifectively bridge over the space 19 so that plate grips the paper beneath it holding it m predetermined position while the desired amount of tension is maintained upon the free portion of the sheet by the operators hand while the-carriage projected across the bed. When the carriage has been moved across. the bed for its-intended purpose and the roller is stopped in the cradle 32, the sheet already treated will be laid aside and a fresh one introduced for a repeated operation which may be carried on most rapidlg.

With the carriage arranged as above in cated with the rollers 27 operating in the track ways there is slight'danger of twisting or binding of the carriage withrespect to the bed, inasmuch as the carriage frame and its extensions are all made suficiently rigid.

The front and rear spacing of the rollers 27 with respect to the axis of the impression roller adds to the security of this operation. It ma be preferred, however, in some constructlons to provide a pair of racks 38 on,

opposite sides of the cushion 15 with which a pair of gears 39 carried by the ends of the roller are adapted to mesh and whereby any possibility of twisting or binding" action of the carriage will be prevented.

I claim:

1. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a fiat bed, a film operating over said bed, a pair of approximately closed drums connected to the ends .of the bed and con stituting supports therefor, means to accommodate the end portions of the film in said drums, and impression means movable along the bed, substantially as set forth.

2. In a duplicating machine, the combina tion of a bed having downwardly projecting side flanges, auxiliary flanges secured to the aforesaid-flanges and cooperating therewith to form reinforcing means for the bed and a pair of track ways, and a carriage movable over the bed, said carriage comprising an impression roller, a rigid frame in which the ends of the roller are journaled, said frame having downward T-shaped extensions operating along said track ways, antifriction rollers carried by said extensions and rolling in said track ways, and means acting between said impression roller and the frame extensions tending to resiliently hold the impression roller in contact with.

the bed and said extension rollers in their track ways.

3. In a duplicating machine, the combination with a bed, a sensitized film supported thereon and an impression roller movable to and fro over the bed, of a shelf lying ap proximately in the plane of the bed and forming a stop for the end of a sheet of paper to be applied between the roller and the film, a gripper plate cooperating with said shelf to hold the end of the paper, and means cooperating with the gripper plate and the roller whereby the roller causes by direct positive action both the lifting and the depressing of the gripper plate.

4. In a duplicating machine, the combination with a frame having at one end a horizontal shelf constituting a paper stop, a bed in approximately the plane of the shelf, a roller movable to and fro over the bed and shelf, a gripper plate cofiperating with said shelf and tiltable upwardly along one edge from the shelf to receive the end of a sheet of paper to'be treated, said gripper plate being depressible into gripping position by direct contact of the roller therewith, and means connected to the plate providing for the lifting of the plate by action of the roller, substantially as set forth.

5. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a supporting frame, a bed plate thereon, gripping means for the end of a sheet of paper adjacent to one end of the frame, said gripper means including a sta tionary shelf and a plate tiltable around one of its edges as a horizontal axis above the shelf and in substantially the plane of the bed, a carriage movable to and fro over the bed plate, gripper plate, and shelf, an impressionroller journaled in the carriage and movable therewith, a guide roller carried by the carriage in spaced parallel relation to the impression roller, and means connected to the gripper plate whereby in cooperation with the impression roller the gripper plate is tilted upwardly between the impression roller and the guide roller when the carriage is at one limit of its movement to admit the paper between the gripper plate and said guide roller.

AUGUST F. WEGENER. 

